America’s Major League Cricket Has Been Sanctioned After A Dispute Threatened Its Historic Launch

Major League Cricket, the much-anticipated new professional T20 league hoped to finally ignite the sport in the U.S, has been officially sanctioned after a dispute between USA Cricket and league organisers threatened to jeopardize the launch of the historic competition.

According to sources, the International Cricket Council – the sport’s governing body – has sanctioned MLC and Minor League Cricket. Both tournaments have been supported and approved by USA Cricket.

The sanctioning means that ICC members can issue No Objection Certificates to their players who want to compete in the MLC which starts in July.

The ICC last month deemed MLC and Minor League Cricket as “disapproved” and stated that “members should not issue NOCs to their players to participate in either event”.

Both events are administered by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), which signed a 50-year commercial rights agreement with USA Cricket in 2019. There has been warring between them with ACE concerned about tumult hitting USA Cricket, which includes high-profile leadership duo Paraag Marathe and Iain Higgins having left their roles in contentious circumstances.

The ICC board was given an update on the issues of USA Cricket during its quarterly meetings in Dubai last month. There is much at stake with the ICC for some time deeming the world’s biggest sports market as cricket’s number one growth country.

The U.S. is co-hosting next year’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies in a landmark event hoped to continue momentum on the back of the MLC, which now appears set to start on time on July 13.

The 18-day tournament, consisting of 19 matches and six teams, will be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas which has been earmarked as the hub for cricket in the U.S.

MLC will spread to other cities in the future once infrastructure is finalized in a tournament hoped to light a fuse in a country long considered the sleeping giant for a bat and ball sport with a strong British footprint.

Inaugural franchises are from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Seattle, Washington DC and New York – strategic places with large numbers of South Asian expatriates and deemed growth areas for cricket.

With several franchises from money-spinner Indian Premier League staking a flag in potentially lucrative new terrain, MLC has secured more than $40 million in funding and over $100 million in “handshakes” with private investors including tech giants Microsoft
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Salary caps were reportedly around $1 million per team with top players set to receive similar remuneration per game to cashed-up start-up leagues in the UAE and South Africa.

Even though the competition was shrouded in uncertainty, a gaudy player draft was held last month in Houston with the first six marquee overseas signings announced.

The headliners were high-profile Australians Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis in the type of star power hoped to provide the tournament heft and credibility amongst cricket and American sports fans alike.

With MLC finally officially sanctioned, though dark shadows continue to linger amid volatile surroundings, there should be more marquee signings imminently as cricket’s big moment in its coveted locale inches closer.